Filipino tennis star sells out Toronto's National Bank Open in 30 minutes

There's a new star in women's tennis, and she's already selling out stadiums.

Alexandra Eala made tennis history last week at the Mubadala DC Open, becoming the first player from the Philippines to win a WTA Tour title.

She did so in incredible fashion, beating three top-15 players in Naomi Osaka, Jessica Pegula and Elina Svitolina. Now she's the hottest ticket heading into Toronto's National Bank Open.

Alexandra Eala of the Philippines has become the most popular ticket at this year's National Bank Open in Toronto. (Geoff Burke/Imagn Images)

According to tournament director Karl Hale, tickets for Eala's first-round match in Toronto against American Alycia Parks sold out in just 30 minutes, and they were forced to move the 21-year-old star to centre court due to her popularity.

"It's incredible," said Hale to TSN's Mark Masters on Eala's popularity. "It's something we've never seen before this early in the tournament." 

To accommodate the large Filipino population expected to attend Eala's first-round match on Wednesday evening, the tournament is changing its menu at food stands around Sobeys Stadium to offer more traditional Filipino dishes.

"We've never done this before in the history of the tournament," said Hale.

The answer you've been waiting for 👀

Alexandra Eala is scheduled to play the Wednesday, August 5 night session at Sobeys Stadium! 🌙🎾

🎟️ Tickets available now ➡️ https://t.co/id5HZHXyEJ pic.twitter.com/gbBuRt7zVz

— National Bank Open (@NBOtoronto) August 1, 2026

According to the 2021 Canadian Census, there are more than 250,000 people of Filipino descent living in and around the Greater Toronto Area.

The capacity of Sobeys Stadium during the NBO tournament is 12,500.

Eala will also play on centre court on Thursday night in doubles with American tennis legend Venus Williams. Hale says it's also the first time that he can remember that there's a first-round doubles match on centre court.